Truths in a Rift (The Traveling Rifts Trilogy: Book Two)

A Dash of Red

For dinner, the group had fish again. Lyra fetched water from outside, though she wasn't particularly happy about it. Aris was too tired to talk, and Raven had gone back to his position between the sabra, so nobody dared disturb him. Tilan, one for few words, didn't have a lot to say either and instead stood guard by the door.

That night, Aris slept fitfully, despite having a full stomach and a comfy couch to sleep on. When she saw the first rays of sunshine peeping through the open door, she immediately flung the blanket off and got to her feet. The girl looked at her meager belongings, deciding to leave the quiver behind again. The Glow Stick was out of juice (whatever juice that was), so she saw no point in bringing it. However, she still grabbed her blanket and dagger.

Sage flew in front of her face, and Aris gasped, quickly stepping back. The fairy glared at her, with her hands on her hips. Aris reflected that the night before, Sage hadn't been too happy Aris found something and didn't tell her.

The girl sighed and pushed back her growing hair. Sage quickly plopped herself down on the free shoulder. Aris then stepped outside.

It took her a long time to walk to the city center. Or at least it felt long – definitely longer than the day before. Sage restlessly tried to hide herself from the sun's bright rays, digging her elbows painfully into Aris's neck. Nearly three quarters of the way through, Aris thought she heard the shuffling of feet behind her and looked back. Tilan stood there, hood up like before. She looked at her, but continued walking.

No one said anything. The only noise was the dirt flying in the air, due to their shoes. They finally arrived at the library and Aris felt herself stop, gazing at the hulking figure with anxiety.

"Where do we even start?" she asked, voice small.

"The second floor," Tilan answered. "I can't even begin to guess when whatever happened to this city happened... but I don't think the history section in the downstairs area covered everything."

Aris nodded, unsure of herself. "How am I supposed to help? I don't understand the language."

"Just don't get in the way."

Aris sighed as Tilan walked forward. She felt useless, and somewhat angry at herself. They were in this rift for her, after all. So why did she still have to rely on others to help?

"Let's go to the top."

For some reason, Aris didn't feel surprised when she heard Raven's voice behind her. It was as if she expected him to come. However, she was startled he suggested such a random thing.

"Why?"

He shrugged. "Might as well work down as Tilan works up."

"But you don't understand the language, either."

"That's doesn't mean we're blind, Aris."

He walked inside, and she was forced to jog after him. Sage clutched to her hair to stay on. Inside, it was dark but less dusty. Aris wished she had a Glow Stick with her. The two went to a door they had seen the day before. There were two of them, one leading up, the other leading down.

Tilan had already gone through. Apparently, the Krälyis still hadn't discovered stairs by the time they got to the city center, since the door led to a ramp. It circled around the building with a door to each floor. Aris and Raven walked in step up the slope. The prince winced every few steps or so, reminding Aris of his still-healing ribs. But he never said anything.

When they finally reached the top, the girl was out of breath and had to lean against a wall. Her eyes roamed the area around. There were more shelves and wooden boxes, but nothing different from the first floor.